Welcome to this edition of

First Downs and Second Guesses

Blog #213 – August 2026

 

The biggest “Holy Smokes” moment came when a Louisiana judge sided with a group of rookie NFL players who didn’t make the cut for their teams and want to come back to college to play again.  These were players who signed free agent contracts, but only survived pre-season camp.  Since many of them had played for Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss, Kiffin signed them to play for his new team, LSU.

Kiffin said he did so because other teams would have gone after them, too.  He just happened to be their former coach, so he had the inside track to sign them.  Yes, they would be considered Portal signees.

To me, the NCAA messed up this situation when they signed into law the “5-for-5 Rule” which states an athlete has five years to play college sports, negating redshirt and injury redshirt years in the process.  What the NCAA didn’t do is include the class of 2022 in the eligible years for participation.  All of the defendants in this case were in the class of 2022.  They want their fifth year of eligibility.  And the Louisiana judge said they should have it.

Of course, the NCAA will appeal the decision, but in the meantime, the players will be eligible to play for LSU and whatever college teams the other players hook up with.

Ironically, the SEC [LSU’s league] has stated that former NFL or other professional athletes cannot return to college to play once they’ve signed a contract.  All of the major conferences followed suit by banning professional from returning to colleges to play their fifth year.  So will those players suit up for LSU this season?

Observing this situation as a former coach, I’m thinking of team morale and other team culture dynamics that can be affected by these players becoming a part of their team. Plus, a Division I roster can only have 103 players according to NCAA rules.  If three former NFL players are inserted on the roster, does that mean three current players lose their team status and scholarships?

Just a whole can of worms being opened when they shouldn’t be.  As bad as this situation is, the NFL players will most likely benefit from the judicial ruling and be eligible for their fifth year of collegiate competition somewhere.  From a collegiate football standpoint, it stinks and harms the current teams who may have to accept the presence of these interlopers on their rosters.